(A/N: I will change the grace → bonfire because I like it.)
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The bonfire crackled softly in the desolate ruins, its flames casting fleeting shadows over the jagged stones and shattered statues that bore witness to countless forgotten battles.
The night sky stretched endlessly above them, its darkness speckled with faint stars, obscured now and then by drifting clouds.
The faint howling of the wind was the only sound that accompanied the fire, save for the occasional clink of armor as the Tarnished adjusted his seat on the crumbling stone beside the flames.
The Tarnished sat cross-legged by the fire, his helm placed carefully beside him. His armor, dented and scratched from the day's battles, reflected the firelight in faint glimmers.
He stared into the flames, lost in thought, until a quiet shift of movement caught his attention. He turned his head to see 2B sitting on the boulder with elegance, her silhouette sharp and graceful against the faint glow of the embers.
"You're going to freeze if you stay over there." He beckoned her to come closer, his voice warm and teasing.
2B hesitated, her arms crossed under her chest. The beautiful silver hair of hers swayed in the breeze and shimmered in the firelight, and her gaze was distant, almost hesitant. "I'm not cold." she replied evenly, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her tone.
The Tarnished chuckled in a low, quiet tone as if he was musing at her reaction. "Come here anyway. You've earned a moment to rest."
After a pause, she stepped forward, her movements deliberate but not unkind. The firelight softened her usually sharp features, illuminating her face with a golden glow as she settled onto the stone beside him. The space between them felt vast despite their proximity, and the Tarnished noticed the slight tension in her shoulders.
Without overthinking, he shifted closer and reached out, gently draping his cloak around her. "There. Better?"
2B blinked, glancing at the fabric now wrapped around her. Her expression softened slightly, and she gave a small nod but didn't say anything to reply to his words.
The Tarnished leaned back, watching her for a moment before speaking again. "You know, it's alright to let yourself relax. We've both been through enough for one day."
She turned her gaze to him, her voice quieter now. "Relaxing has never been something I'm… accustomed to."
"Well." He rolled his eyes, and with a faint smile, he turned his gaze at her. "You could start now." He opened his arms slightly in an unspoken invitation, his movements slow and careful, as though he feared scaring her away.
For a moment, 2B hesitated, her mechanical mind warring with something deeper, something more fragile. Then, as if something within her relented, she leaned into him.
Her movements were stiff at first, but when his arms wrapped around her in a firm, resolute hug, she let herself melt into the warmth that was very unfamiliar to her. Her head came to rest against his shoulder, and her hands settled lightly on his chest.
The Tarnished let out a soft breath, his chin brushing the top of her silvery hair. "See? Not so bad when you can lean on someone, right?"
She huffed lightly, almost a laugh, and closed her eyes. "It's… strange. But not bad at all."
The fire crackled beside them, its warmth mingling with the comfort of their shared closeness. He rested his cheek on top of her head, his hold on her steady but gentle.
The Tarnished stroked her platinum silver hair that had become somewhat of a mess due to the battle earlier in the day, combing it in a meticulous way that didn't fit him at all.
She felt small in his arms, her usually unyielding demeanor softened by the quiet vulnerability of the moment. The two of them enjoyed the other party in a moment of silence. No word could describe how they were feeling about each other right now.
"I never thought I'd find this." 2B murmured, her voice barely audible. "Not in a place like this."
The Tarnished smiled faintly, his grip tightening just a little, as though to reassure her. "Neither did I. But here we are."
They stayed like that for a long while, wrapped in each other and the golden glow of the bonfire. The ruins around them faded into the shadows, the night carrying on unnoticed as they allowed themselves this rare, fleeting moment of peace.
For once, the battles, the pain, and the questions could wait. All that mattered was the quiet comfort of the fire that flickered amidst the starry night and the warmth they found in each other's arms.
The warmth of the fire crackled softly beside them, but despite the peace of the moment, 2B's thoughts drifted, her body still pressed against the Tarnished's. She tilted her head slightly, resting her cheek against the cool metal plates of his armor, her gaze fixed on the dancing flames.
Something in her chest felt... off. Not a kind of malfunction in calculations, nor was it a warning from her internal systems, but an unseen weight she couldn't quite explain, a strange stirring that grew heavier as the silence lingered.
The Tarnished shifted slightly, his gloved hand absently brushing against the fabric of her sleeve as he held her. His touch was light, but it grounded her, keeping her from spiraling too deeply into her thoughts.
"Do you remember?" She began quietly, her voice almost lost in the crackle of the fire, "When we first met?"
The Tarnished let out a low chuckle, his breath warm against the cool night air. "How could I forget? You nearly split me in half. I still get shivers when I think about that time."
2B sat up just enough to glance at him, her expression unreadable under her blindfold but her voice steady. "You didn't seem particularly concerned at the time." She pouted lightly and lifted the blindfold just enough to gaze at him through her bluegray eyes, which were incredibly beautiful.
His thoughts were lost in the moment. This wasn't the first time he saw what lay behind her visor, but every time she showed them, he always got lost in those eyes. But he quickly regained his composure as a warm smile formed on his face.
"I wasn't." His response was playful, but it carried a hint of truth. "I've faced worse. Though I'll admit, I wasn't expecting someone like you. That speed and precision was... something else out of place compared to this shattered world."
Her lips quivered into a faint, fleeting smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You countered my every move. The tactics in your combat weren't recorded in any data I have. But you're able to adapt to my fighting style rather quickly."
The Tarnished tilted his head, his gaze thoughtful. "At first, I thought you were just another monster of the Lands Between, another thing to survive by gnawing what is left in this forsaken land. Worse yet, I encountered you in Seluvis's laboratory at that time, so I thought you were one of his puppets. But when I saw silent sufferings in your movements... I knew you were something different."
"You called me a 'machine' back then." She said softly, the memory sharp and vivid in her mind. She paused, the weight in her chest growing heavier. "You weren't wrong."
"No, I was wrong." Seeing that the atmosphere had dampened all of a sudden, he spoke firmly, breaking the silence. "You're more than a machine that you think you are. After all, you're my dear partner on this long journey."
She turned her head away, her face back to the flames. "I'm not sure I agree with that statement. I've spent my entire existence following orders, carrying out missions. My purpose has always been defined by someone else."
Whenever she felt lost or ashamed, 2B would do that. The Tarnished extended his hand and lightly brushed his fingers across her gloved hand. His touch lingered, light but deliberate. "But here you are. Sitting with me, talking like this. I take it that you were not told to do that?"
She hesitated, her systems whirring faintly in her mind. "No, it's not."
He leaned back slightly, his gaze soft as it seemed to meet hers under the black blindfold. "That first battle... I thought it was the end for one of us. Perhaps it should've been. But something struck in my mind, and I think the same thing happened to yours."
2B's brow furrowed under her visor, her hand curling into a loose fist. "I remember hesitating. For the first time in my existence, I didn't understand why. You should've been my enemy following Seluvis's order, but something about you…"
The Tarnished smiled faintly, though there was a trace of sadness in it. "I felt it too. Like something bigger than the fight itself was pulling us back. A wondrous miracle in a carefully woven tapestry of fate."
The silence between them was heavy now, not from awkwardness but from the weight of the shared memory. The battle had been fierce, a clash of blade and willpower that had left the ground scarred and the air thick with dust.
And yet, the moment their eyes met, something unspoken had passed between them. Something neither of them had been able to put into words.
"I still don't understand it." 2B said quietly, her voice almost trembling. "But it's stayed with me. That feeling… Is that what humans feel? How can I understand this abstract concept of emotions?"
The Tarnished reached up, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face. His hand lingered for a moment before he let it fall back to his side. "Maybe we're not meant to understand it. Maybe it's enough that it brought us here."
She turned her gaze to him, her eyes fixated on him as if trying to uncover hidden answers in the flickering firelight reflected in them. "Do you regret not finishing the fight?"
"Not for a second." He replied without hesitation, a mischievous glint in his eye. A sly smile tugged at his lips as he added. "In fact, I was kind of grateful that dragon Adula interrupted us. It gave me the chance to meet a beauty like you."
2B's expression shifted instantly. Her composure cracked as a faint blush spread across her cheeks. She was a bit weak with compliments. Flustered, she raised her hands to hide her face, her usually steady demeanor completely unfound.
Seeing 2B flustered like this stirred something playful in him, a rare indulgence that felt out of place. "Oh, come on. That reaction? Adorable." He teased, leaning in to poke her gently on the cheek.
Her response was swift and precise—a sharp nudge to his side that knocked the wind out of him. He winced, coughing lightly as he clutched his ribs. "Okay, okay, remember, you're still stronger than me." He managed to wheeze out, though the smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips betrayed his amusement.
"That's what you get for teasing me." she retorted, her tone carrying its usual cold, mechanical edge. But beneath it, there was a subtle note of concern.
She leaned forward, gently placing a hand on his arm. Her touch was steady, her movements measured, as she helped him adjust his position.
Before he could say another word, she shifted closer, perching into his lap in a fluid motion. The action wasn't calculated, nor did it seem entirely planned. It was simply what felt right in the moment.
Her arms wrapped around him in a loose but protective embrace, her cheek resting lightly against his shoulder.
The Tarnished let out a soft sigh, his hand moving instinctively to pat her back in a soothing rhythm. "Alright, fine." He murmured, his voice softer now. "But… Do you regret it?" His tone was careful, as if gauging her reaction, afraid to push too far.
She was quiet for a moment, her head resting against him as the fire crackled softly beside them. Then, slowly, she shook her head. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. "No." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not anymore."
The words hung between them, quiet but heavy with meaning, as the night wrapped around them. In the glow of the fire, their shared silence spoke louder than anything else, the warmth of their embrace chasing away the shadows of doubt and regret.
They fell silent again, the memory of that first, violent meeting lingering between them like a phantom. But now, it didn't feel like a wound—more like a scar, something that had healed over time and bound them in ways they couldn't explain.
The fire crackled on, its warmth wrapping around them as they sat together, the weight of the past slowly giving way to the fragile comfort of the present.
Amidst this, 2B's mind drifted into the distant past—back to when she opened her eyes to this world.